Quote of the Day

"We're only here briefly, and while I'm here I want to allow myself joy. So fuck it."

- Amy, Her.

Tuesday, 26 July 2011

Trailer Tuesday: The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra

Signed poster from the Con

So you may remember the cartoon show (don't even mention the movie adaptation), Avatar: The Legend of Aang/The Last Airbender (depending on your region), which was about this world where people could "bend" the elements (fire, water, earth, air) and one person in every generation could bend all of them. This person was the Avatar and would unite the four nations of Earth, Fire, Water and Air and protect them in times of trouble. That series focussed on Aang, a 12 year old air-bender Avatar who had to stop the tyrannical rule of the Fire Nation and this time around we see 16 year-old Korra, 70 years after the original.

Here's a synopsis for the super-anticipated new series:

"The new series will take place70 yearsafter the end of theAvatar: The Last Airbenderstory arc, with all-new characters and settings.The protagonist of the new series,Korra, the nextAvatarafterAang, is a hot-headed and rebellious young woman from theSouthern Water Tribewho is "ready to take on the world".[2]The series plans to follow Korra as she faces an anti-bender revolt while mastering the art ofAirbendingfrom Aang andKatara'sson,Tenzin." - Avatar Wiki (I left the links in)

And here's what I would describe as the "beautiful" new trailer for the series, that debuted at Comic-Con:

So if anyone's interested, please read the detailed breakdown:

0:04 - So we start with what looks like a Water tribe backdrop, probably where Korra is born. Those 3 people you see breifly walking through the snow may be carrying her away, knowing she is the new Avatar.

0:07 - A single island in the middle of an ocean, with a lonely tower pointing out. My guess? Air nomads, just look at the little things flying around the tower. Aang must have re-established them after the fire nation wiped them out last time around.

0:10 - Appa?! Or just another flying bison? Either way, it flies by a mountain settlement, which could also be of Air habitants. It could even be Aang's last resting place/home.

0:14 - An Aang statue looks over a great lake, perhaps of Fire Nation descent.

0:20 - On closer inspection of the monument, Aang looks a lot older, grander and Asian.

0:23 - Korra saddles up onto here animal guide (Aang had Appa/Momo), a Polar Bear Dog named Naga, and seemingly says goodbye to her parents as she begins her journey as the new Avatar.

0:28 - And that's where she's headed; the United Republic - a sprawling steampunk-esque metropolis home to all nations and benders, created by Avatar Aang and Firelord Zuko. I believe this is the same place glimpsed behind the Aang statue earlier. She travels here to find Tenzin, Aang's son, and learn Air-bending from him, having presumably already mastered the other elements.

0:33 - Ah, the classic water bending demonstration famously seen in the last series' title sequence, this time performed by Korra herself.

0:40 - Here is a better look at the United Republic, looking suspiciously like a mix of New York and Shanghai, with a subtle blend of that classic Chinese style the show is famous for. Awesome. Then there's the steampunk dark blimps overhead, showing the technology advancements since Aang's run. From what I've heard, the city also has automobiles and motor bikes, so I can't wait to see what they look like.

0:46 - United Republic is home to a great city park, similar to that of New York's Central Park. The New York influences are actually very present in this trailer: Aang Statue - Statue of Liberty, Bridge - Brooklyn Bridge and now the Park. Excellent, seeing as I've been there!

0:49 - A huge temple building, presumably at the heart of United Republic. Looks very Earth Nation-y.

0:51 - Now I think this is an Arena for the new United Republic sport, Pro-Bending. In it, 2 teams of 3 benders (each of different element) go head to head in a battle of bending. It's said to be inspired by the 1920's boxing craze along with Mixed Martial Arts.

0:54 - Korra's face in full, displaying her aggressive side. It has been said she will be hot-headed and brash.

Equalist concept art

0:56 - And... ACTION! Korra displays her expertise in Fire-bending when she lays in to this unsuspecting perp and then proceeds to have a 1 on 1 street battle with a masked "Equalist", a member of this new cult who want to rid the world of bending.

1:00 - Another perp gets thrown through a shop window as Korra lays down the smack. United Republic is high in crime when Korra arrives, and so is expected to help the Metal-bending police force (led by Toph's daughter, Bei Fong) in the war on crime.

Bolin

1:02 - A snippet taken from a Pro-Bending match, showing two contestant wearing uniforms. Korra herself is going to take part in the games at some point along with her two friends Mako and Bolin. These two are brothers, and each know different bending with Mako on Fire and Bolin on Earth. Mako (named after the late Mako, who voiced uncle Iroh in the first two seasons) has been described as "like Zuko, but without the angst" whereas Bolin is a lot more laid back and goofy (Sokka, anyone?). Interestingly, they own a Fire Ferret named Pabbo - a creature set to fill in Momo's shoes, methinks.

1:04 - Korra in Fire gear here, once more going toe to toe with an unseen combatant, using Fire-bending again. It looks like she favours this style, which is odd, what with her being a Water-bender by birth, but is probably meant to demonstrate her hot-headiness.

1:07 - A capped, moustached character leaps after Korra as she rides Naga through the city. After some research into the logo on his cap, it seems this dude is a Metal-bender, suggesting that he may not be going after Korra. Or she may have done something criminal herself. Or he's an imposter. Or just a douche. So many possibilities!

1:10 - Some Mobsters get caught unaware by Korra, in this very 20's looking shot.

1:13 - Korra rides Naga through town, causing some destruction on the way. This might explain why the Metal-bender cop was chasing her. My theory is that this is just as she gets into the United Republic.

1:14 - Korra once more fighting the Equalist.

1:17 - Some one falls from the Pro-Balling arena into water below. This shows that it's not a deathly or dangerous sport like Earth Rumble VI was.

1:24 - Korra rides Naga through the snow (most likely on her way to the United Republic) looking determined. Did you know Naga was designed upon some concept art they originally had for Appa? Pretty cool stuff.

O-Man, he's scary!

0:29 - This masked figure we see at the end is Oman, the leader of the Equalists. Series antagonist right here, Korra's Ozai, if you will. He apparently is trained in the form of "Chi-Blocking", where quick jabs are used to hit certain pressure points, rendering certain muscles useless and preventing bending from the affected area. Ty Lee used to do it.

1:31 - And unfortunately that's it, after the titles show here. Looks like the font has morphed into a more tribal feel as opposed to the original Asian style.

1:36 - But wait! This little snippet of someone (I think it may be Bolin...) surprised by the Avatar's appearance proves the show's still got that unique, cutesy sense of humour.

WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. As you can tell, this trailer has left me slightly speechless. Words cannot describe how hyped I am for this! And this trailer is very artistic, at least to me anyway, the music at the beginning in particular nearly choked me up. No Tenzin showed in this one, but I guess we'll see more of him and how he hopes to train Korra in due time. Time to get out my old Legend of Aang DVD's for the wait until mid-2012...